Thursday, October 22, 2009

Cycling being such a repetitive sport/activity that sometimes, well sometimes change is bad. I'm making some big changes and I hope they are for the good.

Goals:

My long term goal is the same: I want to reach the pro level by the end of 2012. Let me clarify: Domestic Professional. I just want to get to that level to say or quantify that I have reached that goal. My short term goals are to race and win a national level event. Next year I'm going to race the Masters' National Crit Championships 30-34 and then go to Downers Grove and race the Elite Championships. The reality is that by the time the Masters' Nationals roll around I will only have 2.5 years of cycling under my legs and that I'm not gifted with a big engine. It takes at least 3 years (Cyclist Training Bible) to realize ones potential and maybe more for those on the slow end of the curve. I'm not sure where I fall on that curve. I do know that if I can make it to the end, I can hold my own. I also know that if I don't enter the race(s), I'll defiantly not win. 90% of success is just showing up.

The 2010 season has already begun for me and the 1st goal is to drop to 8% body fat. I'm almost there now. The second goal is to begin training in earnest when I get back from Thailand November 20th. I would like to get my functional threshold power to around 4.5w/kg before going into race mode. That will depend on my body's adaptation rate and how well the winter/spring training goes. Last year, I had to take a January completely off the bike due to a hamstring tear and I was still able to win a race. I was able to increase my power 30 watts from 08 to 09. If I can get the same improvements for 10, then I should be able to reach target ftp.

Team:

I'm racing with Palmetto Velo for the 2010 season. I do appreciate everything that the Harrell's Bicycle World crew has done for me and I'll continue to do business with Harrell's. Palmetto Velo is a more organized team and for the results I want, I'll need a support system of guys around me in races. This is not to say that I'm not going to work for them. I look forward to playing the domestique role as I know that it will make me stronger. I also look forward to leading out my teammates and helping with the win. I just need to win and hope these guys are going to work as hard for me as I'm willing to work for them. I look forward to the new opportunity there.

Bike:

I've changed the saddle on my bike and I'm going to go back to 172.5mm cranks. Last year, I ran 165mm cranks. I read an article that recommended the smaller cranks and I figured I would give it a shot. I had decent results with them, but when things went uphill, I had to push really hard. I think/hope that the longer cranks will help in that regard. The new saddle is the Fizik Antares and it's great…now that I've had my fit adjusted to it. Preliminary test on the rollers show an increase in power for effort, but I'll wait until it get out on the road to really quantify it.

Barring any injuries or illness, next year will be a great one for me. I think that the adaptations will have set in by then and I will be closer to seeing what my potential will be. Also, by the end of 2011, I'll be able to see if I really do have what it takes to reach my goal. I'm appreciative of all my friends and family and look forward to them being there with me.

Saturday, October 3, 2009

Wow. I wish I could say that I had a great race and that I won it or even finished in the top 10, but I can't. I was off the back 15 minutes into it. On the bright side, my wife said, "If someone had to to it, it might as well be you." Thanks honey.

I knew the field would be strong, but I didn't realize it would be by that much. Basically, it turned out to be a 1 minute effort (uphill) followed by 27-37 seconds of rest (downhill) into the wind. Each of the 1 minute efforts sent me SCREAMING over my ftp. The lowest avg. Was 287 (only once), the highest was 397w. With my FTP being around 270 right now, it was only a matter of time before I was launched off the back. I gave everything I had and even tried to jump back in...the second time I was lapped. After 29minutes of riding solo, I decided I needed to try to save a little bit for tomorrow at the BMW center.

My shoot the moon goal for next year still stands though. It may be unrealistic, but I damn sure am going to try. I've had some other setbacks that I haven't written about here that caused me to take almost a month off of the bike so I know I'm not in form (and that's also why the FTP is a down).

I'm going to take what I've found today and tomorrow and work with my coach to build a plan that will get me there in the best shape possible. With a solid plan, consistent training and hard work, my physiology may still not allow me to reach that goal. I'm still going to do everything I can to get there.